


My Brother My Friend

by PhenomenalWoman



Series: The Little Jedi [3]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, And not the good kind, Brotherly Love, Emotionally Constipated Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulative Sheev Palpatine, Obi-Wan is trying, Sith Shenanigans (Star Wars), Young Anakin Skywalker, mention of past slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:46:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24758002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhenomenalWoman/pseuds/PhenomenalWoman
Summary: AKA how Anakin finds out the truth, thanks to a wrinkly bastard named Sheev, and just how much Obi-Wan cares.~Anakin peers behind Obi-Wan and sees Masters Yoda and Windu walking on either side of an older man in very elegant robes and Anakin’s stomach drops.His vision whites out for a moment and he stumbles backwards, and it’s only Obi-Wan’s hand that keeps him from falling flat on his butt. The Force roars in his ears.“Anakin?” Obi-Wan’s voice is barely heard over the screaming in Anakin’s head.It’s as if oil has been poured down Anakin’s whole body, and it’s beginning to envelope him. It creeps up his neck and it’s trying to get into his mouth and Anakin can’t breathe, Anakin can’t breathe, why can’t he breathe, help him help himhelphimhelp-
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, CC-2224 | Cody & Anakin Skywalker, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: The Little Jedi [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748707
Comments: 36
Kudos: 1064





	My Brother My Friend

Anakin is going home.

Well, Obi-Wan called it home, but he really means the Jedi Temple. Anakin thinks that home is with him and the clones. 

Obi-Wan brushes another piece of invisible lint off Anakin’s shoulder for the third time in twenty seconds since they’ve dropped out of hyperspace. Why is he so nervous, Anakin wonders.

It was explained to Anakin while they were taking off that the people Anakin saw in the holocall Obi-Wan made would be meeting him in person when they landed. The Not-Master Masters, Anakin had taken to calling them in his head. 

Anakin cranes his neck to look up at Obi-Wan and tugs at his hand, “We’ll be okay, Obi-Wan,” He promises as he gives the hand a squeeze. 

Brothers look after each other, that’s what Rex tells him, and maybe he hasn’t said it out loud to Obi-Wan yet, but Anakin likes to think of him as a brother. He likes to think of all of the clones as his brothers, even the ones he hasn’t had a chance to meet yet. 

Obi-Wan sighs fondly, a sound Anakin has become used to, and kneels down in front of Anakin, “I know we will Ani. My friends are very excited to meet you. Do you remember what I told you?” He brushes back a strand of hair that fell in front of Anakin’s eyes. He’d have to make a haircut appointment for the boy.

Anakin nods quickly, “Uh-huh! You told me to be polite, and to pay attention, and to not be afraid!” 

“And what else?” Obi-Wan prompts, an expectant look on his face.

Anakin blushes and glances down at his feet, “And to remember that you won’t let anything happen to me,” The words come out as a whisper, like Anakin is embarrassed to need Obi-Wan’s protection. Or maybe embarrassed to enjoy it so much. 

Obi-Wan flicks at his nose, “That’s right Anakin, I won’t let  _ anything _ happen to you,” and he says it with such conviction that Anakin  _ has  _ to believe him. Besides, why would Obi-Wan ever let Anakin get hurt? 

Anakin swats at Obi-Wan’s hand with a giggle, but nods seriously, “I know you won’t, Obi-Wan,” he looks more like the general Obi-Wan has come to know suddenly as he says, “I won’t let anything happen to you, either.” 

Whatever response Obi-Wan had was cut off by Rex poking his head in the doorway, “We’ve landed, sir,” he reports dutifully before smiling down at the little boy, “Are you ready,  _ An’ika?” _

Anakin flashes him a grin with more teeth than necessary, “Born ready!” 

It’s with a great sense of dismay that Obi-Wan realizes that the clones’ eagerness for battle, or anything that needs to be conquered, has rubbed off on Anakin. This week alone, Obi-Wan has pretended multiple times not to see Waxer and Boil teach Anakin various takedowns and vulnerable body parts to hit while in a fight. 

Obi-Wan rises from the ground and straightens his robes. He successfully resists the urge to brush the shoulders of the shrunken blacks Anakin has been wearing until they can find clothes that actually fit him. “Well then, let’s not keep our friends waiting, yes?” 

~

For as brave as Anakin felt on the ship, he is not feeling that bravery now. They still have some distance to go before they’re face to face with Obi-Wan’s friends, but Anakin can feel his heart pounding in his chest. He can already see the severe man that Obi-Wan had introduced as Master Windu, and he already looks angry. Did Anakin already do something wrong?

Anakin stops in his tracks and tugs at Obi-Wan’s hand to stop him from walking too, “Obi?” Anakin whispers, “Obi, are they mad at me?” 

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows scrunched together as he knelt down, “Oh, Ani, no. They aren’t mad at you, they haven’t even met you,”

The little boy averts his gaze and shrugs, “People are always mad at me before they meet me,” He mumbles, and his eyes look far away. 

Obi-Wan squeezes his little hands, “Anakin, do you remember what I told you on the ship? That I would never let anything happen to you?” He uses one hand to tip Anakin’s chin up so they could make eye contact, “I meant it then, and I mean it now.”

Anakin releases a shuddering breath and slowly holds out his hand with only his littlest finger extended, “Pinky promise?” The fear in his eyes has been replaced with a teasing happiness.

Obi-Wan feels his face twist at the gesture and he raises one disapproving eyebrow at the subtle reference to Anakin’s new…  _ friend,  _ but he links his own pinky finger with Anakin’s regardless.

“Okay!” Anakin releases Obi-Wan’s hand and juts his chin up, “You gotta get up Obi-Wan, we’re waiting on you.” 

  
  


“Brat,” Obi-Wan mumbles under his breath as he rises to his feet, but Anakin just grins up at him and keeps walking with a new spring in his step.

They ate up the distance between them and the group of Masters waiting for them quicker than Anakin was probably ready for. 

“Young Skywalker,” The green troll, Master Yoda, that speaks funny taps his walking stick against the ground when they finally come to a stop in front of them, “in the same condition as when you left, you are not,” 

Anakin frowns and looks up at Obi-Wan before looking back at Master Yoda, “‘M sorry, sir, I don’t know what you mean,” He replies carefully. Has he been here before? 

Master Yoda doesn’t seem offended by Anakin’s confession, “Scared, are you?” He asks instead. 

In another lifetime, Anakin would deny the idea of being scared, of being  _ weak _ , vehemently, but now Anakin takes a moment to consider it. He looks up at Obi-Wan, who has rested a reassuring hand on Anakin’s shoulder, and back at Rex and Cody, who both stand like durasteel walls that would have to be toppled before they let anything happen to him. He thinks about both the 501st and the 212th that, while not physically here, are like an mass army of brothers to him.

“No,” He replies, and a great weight releases from his chest, “No, I’m not.” 

Master Yoda hums thoughtfully and taps his stick again, “Very good to hear, this is,” and he sounds genuinely pleased that Anakin isn’t scared. “Come, walk we will. Get you new clothes, we must.” 

Anakin looks down at the shrunken blacks that still cover his hands. He shuffles his feet that have been in socks ever since appearing on Obi-Wan’s ship. They hadn’t been able to find shoes that would fit him. 

“Can I get shoes too?” Anakin asks. Walking barefoot was nice and all, especially when there is no sand to get between toes, but it was starting to get a little gross. 

Obi-Wan’s hand squeezes his shoulder, “I’m sure we can get you some shoes too, Anakin,” He assures him. 

“With Master Obi-Wan, we need to speak,” Master Yoda interjects, “Take you to get fitted, a padawan will,” His face twists into something Obi-Wan has come to know as mischief.

“Hello, Masters!” Ahsoka Tano slides around the corner, and her eyes lock onto her deaged master with no small amount of glee. 

Obi-Wan frowns and shares a look with Mace, who only nods his head once. Ahsoka has been informed that she is not to tell Anakin anything about his life before being deaged. That particular job will be left to Obi-Wan. 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan squeezes his shoulder again, “This is Ahsoka Tano, she’ll take you to get new clothes,” He smiles perhaps a touch too widely while in the presence of Council members. 

The little boy nods slowly, “Where will you be?” A touch of fear creeps into his voice, and Master Yoda releases a small hum of displeasure.

“Just speaking with my friends, Ani,” Obi-Wan assures him, “I can come get you as soon as you’re done,”

Master Windu clears his throat, “I’m afraid that the Chancellor has expressed his interest in seeing Skywalker.” His tone leaves no room for argument. 

Anakin turns his wide eyes on Master Windu, all previous discretion gone out the window, “Can I… Would I be able to see Obi-Wan before that? Please?” Anakin doesn’t know what a Chancellor is, but he’s positive it isn’t as cool as Obi-Wan.

“Be arranged, that can,” Master Yoda answers, ignoring the side-eye Master Windu throws his way, “Now go. Get new clothes, you must.” 

Ahsoka steps closer, “You can follow me, Anakin,” She smiles broadly, and the little boy can’t help but do the same.

“Okay!” He turns and faces Obi-Wan, “Make good choices,” He says seriously, reciting the phrase that Obi-Wan has told him countless times before wrapping his arms around the man in a quick hug. He darts away towards Ahsoka before Obi-Wan can do anything other than blush.

Obi-Wan stoutly refuses to look at Master Yoda’s impish smile and instead watches the two walk back towards the Temple.

“Oh wow! You have two lightsabers!” Anakin inspects Ahsoka’s belt, “That’s so wizard! Do you think I could have two?” 

Ahsoka’s reply is lost in the distance, and Obi-Wan gets the sinking feeling that this was a terrible idea.

~

The amount of clothes a Jedi has to wear is crazy! And also complicated. However, Anakin will admit that they’re warm, and Anakin, so used to Tatooine’s heat, is near constantly cold.

He likes Ahsoka too. She’s started calling him Skyguy, which Anakin  _ loves. _ He’s getting so many nicknames, eventually people will forget his real name! 

She knows Rex too, and she said that they’re friends, and anyone who’s friends with Rex can be friends with Anakin.

“Do you know who Chan-cel-or Palpatine is?” Anakin pronounces the word carefully. It sounds important, like Anakin shouldn’t mess it up. 

Ahsoka shrugs, “Not well,” She admits, “But we have a… mutual friend.”

Before Anakin can ask who, Obi-Wan’s voice rings through the hall, “Anakin!” 

Obi-Wan’s pace picks up just a bit, not enough to be  _ rushed _ because Obi-Wan is too refined to rush through the halls. 

“Look Obi-Wan!” Anakin holds his arms out to showcase his new clothes, “I dress like you now!” He wiggles his feet, “And I have shoes!” 

Obi-Wan smiles softly, “Very nice, Anakin,” He rests a gentle hand in the boy’s hair and looks over at Ahsoka, “I trust he behaved?” 

Ahsoka grinned, “Oh, he was great. You know, Skyguy tells  _ a lot _ of stories,” She trails off, grin morphing into something more mischievous and Obi-Wan feels his cheeks heat up. 

“Yes, a sign of an active imagination, I’m sure,” Obi-Wan looks down at Anakin, who at least has the decency to look sheepish. 

“Ah, Anakin!” 

Anakin peers behind Obi-Wan and sees Masters Yoda and Windu walking on either side of an older man in very elegant robes and Anakin’s stomach  _ drops. _

His vision whites out for a moment and he stumbles backwards, and it’s only Obi-Wan’s hand that keeps him from falling flat on his butt. The Force  _ roars _ in his ears. 

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan’s voice is barely heard over the screaming in Anakin’s head.

It’s as if oil has been poured down Anakin’s whole body, and it’s beginning to envelope him. It creeps up his neck and it’s trying to get into his mouth and Anakin can’t breathe,  _ Anakin can’t breathe, why can’t he breathe, help him help himhelphimhelp- _

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan’s hands, safe and strong, cup his cheeks in a firm grip. His worried gaze is the first thing Anakin registers, and Anakin can feel a thumb swipe away a tear that fell in Anakin’s spasm. 

“Is everything alright, Master Kenobi?” The older man’s head pops up behind Obi-Wan’s shoulders and Anakin’s hands instinctively grab at Obi-Wan’s wrists.

Obi-Wan frowns as he runs his thumb over Anakin’s cheekbone, “I’m sorry, Chancellor, but I’m not exactly sure,” He kneels into a more comfortable position, “Anakin? Do you know what happened?” 

Anakin shakes his head in an almost violent way, still gasping for breath, “No,” He clenches his eyes shut, “I don’t know, I don’t know,” He repeats, and more tears start to spill from his eyes. “‘M sorry, I’m sorry, Obi-Wan,” The oily feeling has left his mouth to instead wrap tight around his throat. 

Obi-Wan shushes him, “Don’t apologize, Anakin,” He pushes Anakin’s sweaty bangs out of his eyes, “You don’t need to apologize, let’s just get you to the Healers, yes?” 

“No!” Anakin’s eyes fly open, but he can’t recall ever closing them, “No, I’m okay! I don’t need to see a Healer, I promise!” He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself more than Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan opens his mouth, most likely to protest, but he’s cut off by a belly-deep laugh from who Obi-Wan called the Chancellor. 

“What a strong boy!” The Chancellor exclaims, and his hungry gaze has zeroed in on Anakin. “Although, I’m sure that’s to be expected, isn’t it?” No one answers his question, but he doesn’t seem upset by it. 

“Masters, Chancellor, if you’ll excuse me, I really should take Anakin-” 

The Chancellor cuts off Obi-Wan again, “Nonsense! The boy said he’s fine!” He turns his greedy gaze on Anakin, and Anakin can feel his heart rate pick up again, “He’s a strong boy, and if he needs to he can see a Healer after we have a chat,” 

Have a chat? Anakin looks up at Obi-Wan, whose face is pulled into the slightest of frowns. Anakin doesn’t want anything to do with this man, especially not  _ alone _ . 

And for all Obi-Wan’s reputation as a negotiator, his words abandon him. There should be no reason to feel uneasy about letting the Chancellor and Anakin chat. When Anakin was this age the first time he would frequently visit the older man, but something feels  _ wrong _ this time around. 

Even if Anakin hadn’t reacted the way that he had, Obi-Wan still wouldn’t feel comfortable. The Force rages and whips around the older man in a way Obi-Wan can only describe as a warning. But Obi-Wan has never been able to say no to the Chancellor, and he doubts he’d be able to now.

“Anakin, is that agreeable to you?” Obi-Wan asks carefully. He’s yet to take his hands off the boy. 

Anakin glances over his shoulder at the way the Chancellor seems to leer at him, and over where Master Yoda and Master Windu are silently watching. If he says no will they think he’s afraid? Will Ahsoka, who has been watching in silent horror behind him, think of him as some small kid who has no business being a Jedi? “Yeah,” Anakin finally whispers, “That’s fine.” 

The Chancellor claps his hands together and Anakin flinches at the sudden noise, “Wonderful! Come along, Anakin. I’ve been very excited to speak with you.”

Anakin looks up at Obi-Wan one last time before carefully, and regretfully, extracting himself from his grip. “Bye, Obi,” he mumbles, “See you when I get back,” 

Obi-Wan catches his wrist before he can get too far, “Make good choices, Anakin,” He instructs with a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. He means the words more than he usually does when he says them. 

“Okay, Obi,” Anakin says with a matching little smile before turning and following the Chancellor. 

The four Jedi watch the two of them disappear silently.

“Come, Master Obi-Wan,” Yoda finally speaks up, “Much more to discuss, it seems we have.”

~

The Chancellor’s office is the biggest room Anakin has ever been in. A plush red carpet lines the floor and there’s a long transparisteel window that takes up one of the walls that Anakin finds himself looking out. 

“Tell me, Anakin, are you angry with the situation?” The Chancellor asks from behind his equally massive desk. 

Anakin turns his head away from the window, “What situation?” Being at the temple? 

The Chancellor gasps, as though he’s said too much, “Oh dear boy, do you not know? Did Obi-Wan not tell you?” 

“Tell me what?” Anakin leans forward in his chair, almost tipping off of it. Obi-Wan doesn’t keep secrets from him. They promised each other they wouldn’t keep any secrets. They  _ promised. _

“Oh, if you haven’t been told I don’t believe it’s my place to tell you,” The Chancellor frowns apologetically, as if he really does feel bad he can’t tell Anakin.

Anakin practically scrambles to his feet, “No, you have to tell me!” His sense of respect has been thrown out the window, but the Chancellor doesn’t seem to mind. He only lets out a small resigned sigh, as if Anakin has truly forced his hand. 

The Chancellor  _ tuts _ , as though disappointed. He pulls open a drawer and fishes out a little holoprojector. “Tell me, Anakin,” He turns it on, “What do you see?” 

Anakin blinks at the sudden burst of blue light, and when he adjusts he can see- “Is that Obi-Wan?” 

Two men, each of them holding lightsabers, float back to back above the Chancellor’s desk. One of them is most definitely Obi-Wan, Anakin would recognize him anywhere. The picture is from a newsreel, proudly proclaiming the two of them as ‘The Team.’ Anakin doesn’t recognize the other man but he can’t help but stare at him.

He’s young, younger than Obi-Wan, and has curly hair and a scar that just misses one of his eyes, which have a feral look in them. He’s in the middle of swinging his lightsaber at some unseen opponent. 

“Yes it is,” The Chancellor leans forward, “Do you know who the other man is?” 

Anakin shakes his head slowly. 

“What do you see when you look at him?” The Chancellor presses, “Do you think he’s powerful? Strong?” 

“I think…” Anakin pauses and draws the holoprojector closer to him, “I think he’s sad.”

_ “What?” _ The Chancellor frowns before smoothing his face into something more neutral, “What do you mean, Anakin?” 

Anakin flushes and pushes the holoprojector back towards the Chancellor, “He’s sad. And angry.” He looks back out the window at the passing speeders, “You can see it in his eyes,” His voice drops into a whisper. 

“Anakin,” The Chancellor begins softly, “That man is  _ you. _ ” 

~

When their time together runs out, the Chancellor walks with Anakin back to Temple. Anakin hasn’t said much since the Chancellor informed him of the truth regarding his age status. But the Chancellor speaks enough for the both of them, so Anakin doesn’t think he minds much. 

Throughout their meeting, the Chancellor told Anakin  _ everything. _ About how the Jedi Council didn’t trust Anakin, how his mother was  _ dead. _ Dead, and Anakin had asked Obi-Wan for help and Obi-Wan did  _ nothing. _ He told Anakin about how the older version of him would tell the Chancellor how the Jedi didn’t understand him, and how they resented him and his power.

“How terrible of the Jedi to keep this truth from you,” The Chancellor shakes his head sympathetically, “I could never imagine them to be so deliberately cruel.” 

Anakin can see Obi-Wan in the distance, and the rage that had been at a low simmer starts to rise and bubble over. The sticky feeling that never really left him since meeting the Chancellor climbs back up his throat and envelops his hands. 

He doesn’t register the words that Obi-Wan exchanges with the Chancellor, doesn’t register that hand that drops down to squeeze his shoulder as the Chancellor takes his leave. 

“Anakin, I was thinking that we could-”

“You lied to me!” Anakin cuts him off, anger seemingly subduing what little patience he has. “You lied to me and you broke your promise!” The sticky feeling crept up his chin and threatened to blind him. The hairs on his arms stood up.

Obi-Wan frowned and took a step back, “What? Anakin, I-”

“No!” Anakin’s voice cracked, “You lied to me! You knew all along that I- that I wasn’t  _ this?” _ He gestures vaguely at himself, “You knew and you didn’t tell me?” 

Various knights and masters walking around them began to stare, but Anakin couldn’t bring himself to stop.

“Were you ever going to tell me?” Anakin demands, but doesn’t stop long enough for Obi-Wan to answer, “Or were you just going to keep it a secret forever? Were you trying to fix me?” Tears well up unbidden, and Anakin furiously wipes them away, “Were you trying to make me into the Jedi the other me wasn’t?”

Obi-Wan’s steel gaze snaps up to where the Chancellor had just turned out of sight and his lips curl into a rare sneer. 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan tore his gaze away from the hallway, “I was going to tell you  _ today, _ I swear it-”

“Don’t  _ lie to me!” _

“I’m _not!”_ Obi-Wan feels childish yelling back at Anakin, but he just needs the boy to _listen,_ to _understand_. The boy’s accusations are crushing, and he believes them. He believes whatever lies Palpatine fed him.

Anakin bares his teeth in a snarl that Obi-Wan usually only sees on the battlefield, “You are!” He insists, “You could’ve told me any time, but you didn’t! Why?” His voice still doused in anger has a hint of desperation behind it, “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Obi-Wan, the great silver-tongued Negotiator, flounders for words. His mouth opens and no words come out. How can he explain it to Anakin? How can he explain that Obi-Wan didn’t know  _ how? _ That Obi-Wan wanted to protect Anakin as long as he could from the ugly truth?

“Well?” Anakin spits, tears falling faster but this time he makes no move to wipe them away.

_ Can he? _ Obi-Wan wonders off-handedly. Anakin’s hands are balled up so tight in some vain attempt to keep them from shaking and Obi-Wan doesn’t think the boy would have the control needed to wipe his tears away. 

“Are you just not going to say anything?” Anakin demands again in the face of Obi-Wan’s silence.

_ “Because you deserved to be a child, Anakin!” _ Obi-Wan cries, startling Anakin into silence. 

Obi-Wan has never yelled at Anakin, and even though Anakin kept pushing and  _ pushing _ , he didn’t expect Obi-Wan to take the bait. The little boy blinked in surprise.

“You deserved to be a child, Anakin,” Obi-Wan repeats, slightly breathless, “Not a soldier, or a  _ slave, _ ” He drops his voice on the last word, “Or even a Jedi,” He can feel his face flushing in a way that only Anakin and his stubborn ways can bring out. “You deserved to be a  _ child _ and to have  _ fun _ without worrying about a war.”

Anakin clenches his jaw, a new wave of tears coming for a different reason, “You didn’t tell me,” He whispers as if all fight has left his body, “It would’ve been hard, but you still should have told me,” He blinks and a tear tracks down his cheek and drops off his jaw, “And I won’t ever forgive you.” 

The words pierce Obi-Wan like a dozen blaster bolts to the chest. He tries to release his emotions into the Force.  _ Tries. _ But it clings, clings like a sickness that clogs his senses. It’s at this moment that Obi-Wan realizes, not for the first time when it comes to Anakin, just how  _ dangerous _ his emotions really are. 

“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way.” Obi-Wan finally says and spins on his heel, “Now follow me and I’ll show you our room.” He walks away without waiting for Anakin to respond, and after an agonizing few seconds, a pair of footsteps follow him. 

Any plan that Obi-Wan had of easing Anakin into the truth has flown out the window. All thoughts of sitting Anakin down at the Room of a Thousand Fountains and letting him absorb the information have vanished into thin air. All because of Chancellor Palpatine. 

Anakin follows Obi-Wan down various hallways that, if he wasn’t so  _ numb _ , would work on memorizing so he can find his way out of here. The thought keeps pressing itself into the forefront of Anakin’s mind: running away. 

They didn’t want  _ Anakin _ here they wanted who Anakin  _ was _ , or more accurately who he  _ could be _ . They knew the mistakes made with raising Anakin the first time and they were going to fix it the second time around. Anakin wouldn’t let them. 

A door slides open and Obi-Wan gestures for Anakin to enter. Obi-Wan stays in the doorway and watches as Anakin steps inside. “I’ll be back soon,” Obi-Wan says evenly, devoid of all emotion, “Stay here,” and he vanishes with a swish of his robe and the woosh of the door closing behind him. 

Anakin feels a tear drop down his cheek again but doesn’t bother to wipe it away. His knees feel shaky underneath him as he stumbles to the couch against a wall. The numb feeling spreads down to his toes. 

He glances at an end table to the side of the couch. It’s empty aside from a lamp and a single picture frame that Anakin picks up with shaky hands. 

It was Obi-Wan and  _ him. _ The older him. Not as old as the picture that the Chancellor showed him because he didn’t have the scar yet, and his hair was pulled back in a tiny ponytail. He was proudly brandishing a severed braid for the camera. Both of their cheeks were flushed and Obi-Wan had his arm wrapped firmly around the older Anakin’s shoulders. They were both smiling so hard it hurt to look at.

Obi-Wan didn’t smile like that at Anakin, at least not today. Anakin wished he would.

The door wooshed open again and Anakin felt hope sore in his chest, chasing away the numb feeling, but it soon vanished when Ahsoka walked in. 

“Oh, hullo, Ahsoka,” Anakin whispered, putting the picture frame back down with clumsy fingers. 

She smiles softly and approaches the couch, “Hi, Anakin. Would it be ok if I sat here?” 

Anakin shrugs before nodding carefully, “Sure,” He whispers, eyes shifting back to the picture frame. 

She sits down next to him but doesn’t say anything, like she’s waiting for something.

“Did you know?” He doesn’t look at her, doesn’t think he can. He doesn’t think he can take looking at another person who knew the truth and didn’t tell him. 

“Yes, I did,” She answers simply, and at least has the decency to look ashamed. 

Anakin feels his lip quiver and more tears well up. He tilts his head away to wipe at his eyes, and Ahsoka graciously looks away. 

“Does Obi-Wan hate me now?” His voice cracks like he can’t bear the idea of Obi-Wan not liking him anymore. 

“No, Skyguy,” Ahsoka turns her body to face him on the couch, bringing one leg up on the cushion as she gently takes one of his hands in her’s, “He doesn’t hate you.”

Anakin shudders and tightens his grip on her, “How do you know?” 

Ahsoka brings her other hand up to wipe as his cheeks, “I don’t think he could ever hate you. No, I  _ know _ he could never hate you, no matter what you say to him.”

The dam breaks.

“But I was so  _ mean!” _ Anakin sobs, pitching forward and practically collapsing in her lap, “I was so mean to him and I didn’t mean it! I didn’t!” His hands clutch her clothes as if doing so will bring Obi-Wan back.

Ahsoka freezes for just a moment before running her hand gently through his hair, “Oh, Skyguy,” she sighs and her other hand rubs circles into his back, “You’ve been way meaner to him in the past and he’s always forgiven you,” 

But that wasn’t what Anakin wanted to hear. 

He sobs again, burying his head into her stomach, “Bu-ut I don’t  _ want _ to be me-mean to Obi!” He can barely get the words out with how hard he’s crying. 

Ahsoka tries to shush him, but the sound gets lost under his sobs. Instead, she continues to gently pet his hair and do her best to hold him tight. 

“Anakin,” She says into his hair when the sobbing finally lessens, “Obi-Wan will  _ always _ care for you, he just has problems saying it. He kept it a secret from you because he wanted you to feel like a kid for just a little longer. That’s all he’s ever wanted to do - protect you.” 

“Protect me from what?” Anakin croaks, raising his head just a little.

“Everything,” A new voice answers.

Obi-Wan stands in the doorway. He looks tired and he sounds tired too. He smells a bit like sweat, as if he had to take out extra aggression on some training droids. 

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin cries out and stumbles out of Ahsoka’s lap. He launches himself at Obi-Wan, and the man drops gracelessly to his knees to meet him. 

Anakin grips at the back of Obi-Wan’s clothes so tightly he thinks he hears them rip, and he knows his tears are soaking through the front of Obi-Wan’s tunics, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” He’s blubbering now, but he can’t bring himself to stop. He needs Obi-Wan to know, to know how  _ sorry _ how  _ stupid _ is. How much he needs Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan stays silent and only shifts so that he’s sitting against the wall with Anakin in his lap. He hears Ahsoka pass them and feels her drop a hand on his shoulder and gets a sudden sense of  _ deja vu  _ from Anakin’s first night being de-aged and Rex did the same thing to him in that hallway. 

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin pulls back to look him in the eyes, and Obi-Wan reaches up to wipe away the snot that drips from Anakin’s nose with his sleeve, “Obi-Wan, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean any of it, I swear!” 

“I know, dear one,” Obi-Wan soothes, his hand pushing back Anakin’s hair, “I know you didn’t. I should have told you the truth sooner, Ani.” 

Anakin shakes his hand and grabs at the collar of Obi-Wan’s tunics, “No! I should have listened because you were just trying to protect me, but I didn’t. I didn’t listen to you, I just listened to what the Chancellor told me,” He clenches his eyes tight at the thought of the old politician. 

Obi-Wan’s lips turn downwards, “Anakin, why did you have such a strange reaction to the Chancellor?” 

Anakin shudders and lets himself fall back into the safety of Obi-Wan’s chest, “He didn’t feel right,” He whispers, “Felt greasy and wrong…” Anakin thinks about the time he saw a slave on Tatooine collapse in the middle of punishment, and how they left her body there for the rest of the week before they finally moved her. That’s what the Chancellor felt like. 

Obi-Wan tightens his grip on the little boy, “You won’t have to see him again if you don’t want to, I promise you that,” He whispers the words into Anakin’s temple, but a very un-Jedi-like feeling of rage rise up in his chest. 

_ “Thank you _ ,” Anakin sags with relief into his chest, “I don’t want to, I don’t want to see him again.” 

Obi-Wan stays silent and holds him tighter. If this Anakin was so averse to the Chancellor, then why did the  _ first _ Anakin hold him in such high esteem? 

“Hey, Obi-Wan?” Anakin doesn’t lift his head off Obi-Wan’s chest but he tilts his head up to meet his eyes, “Were you and the other me… friends?” They looked like friends in the picture on Obi-Wan’s table. 

Obi-Wan smiles softly and lets his head fall back against the wall behind him, “Oh, yes. I dare say he was my best friend.” Obi-Wan’s eyes are distant, like he’s lost in thought. “My brother even.” 

Anakin thought he’d like that answer but all it did was remind him that he was a replacement. That, in turn, he was  _ replaceable. _

“But,” Obi-Wan jostles Anakin to get his attention, “I like to think I know you just as well, if not more,” He hated to say it, but there was a lot he didn’t know about Anakin the first time around. There was a lot Anakin didn’t tell him. “ _ You,”  _ Obi-Wan presses a gentle finger at Anakin’s chest, “are my brother, too, Anakin. In all but blood.” 

A new wave of tears flood Anakin’s eyes, these ones thicker and hotter and slower to fall than the tears he shed earlier. 

_ Brothers look after each other, _ He thinks of Rex telling him. 

He looks at Obi-Wan, at his  _ brother _ , and he thinks he gets it. 

It feels nice to have a brother looking after him.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments are appreciated! All mistakes are my own. Thank you guys for reading! <3


End file.
